The preparation of polymeric materials is frequently carried out in a solvent from which the polymer product must be separated prior to molding, storage, or other such applications. This is the case in the manufacture of polyetherimide prepared by condensation polymerization of a dianhydride with a diamine in ortho-dichlorobenzene solution. Many other polymers are similarly prepared in solution and require a solvent removal step in order to isolate the polymer product. Illustrative polymers include interfacially-prepared polycarbonates, polysulfones, interfacially-prepared polycarbonate esters, and the like. The solvent frequently plays an indispensable role in polymer manufacture, providing for thorough mixing of reactants and for reducing the viscosity of the reaction mixture to provide for uniform heat transfer during the polymerization reaction itself. The solvent may further facilitate product purification by enabling the polymer product to be treated with water, aqueous acids and bases, and drying agents prior to solvent removal. Additionally, because a polymer solution is typically much less viscous than a molten polymer, the polymer solution is generally more easily filtered than the molten polymer.
Due to the pervasive use of solvent solutions in the manufacture or processing of polymeric material, there remains a need in the art to provide a convenient and cost-effective method and system to isolate a polymer from a polymer-solvent mixture.
The formation of blends or filled polymeric material may be effected by compounding a melt of the polymer with the additional polymer or filler. To prepare a polymer product having uniformly dispersed filler or to uniformly disperse an additional polymer, high shear rates, extended compounding and extruding times, and high heat may be required. The long residence times of compounding and high heat render the polymer product susceptible to discoloration and degradation of desired physical properties.
There also remains a need for an efficient and simple method to prepare a polymer product comprising uniformly dispersed filler.